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Be Not Afraid
The Gospels record that when the women disciples bring spices to anoint Jesus' body after his crucifixion and burial, they find an empty tomb. They are naturally terrified. And the first words they hear are: "Be not afraid." That is the hardest faith message to hear when you really are terrified. And I don't know about you, but I am terrified.
But it is exactly when you have good reason to fear, when the chips are down and you and your country have your backs to the wall, that you and I need to hear this message, "Be not afraid."
But from our president we get only this: be afraid, be very afraid. President Bush went so far as to use the word "panic" in relationship to the markets and the need for a bailout in his speech yesterday evening.
No, President Bush, not this time. I believe it is faith and faith alone that will enable the country to resist yet again being stampeded into fear responses that simply enable this administration to rush headlong into plans that are not well-conceived and that we will spend decades regretting, let alone paying off the debt incurred.
When the markets took a dive earlier this year, I wrote about "Faith, Fear and Falling Markets." I know that the Bible teaches that "perfect love drives out fear," but human beings, in truth, are far from perfect. This is especially true when our fear is justified.
Today we received yet another shock to the system: the jobless rate is now the highest it has been in seven years.
Since we cannot get real leadership from this president, let us remember yet again the words of Franklin Roosevelt who spoke to a far worse economic crisis than even the one in which we find ourselves this fall of 2008. "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." Those famous words enabled Americans to get a grip and understand that it is actually knee-jerk panic reactions that cause economies to freeze up and make difficult financial times into deep recessions, even depressions.
We do well to remember "the only things we have to fear is fear itself." But we should also remember all of Roosevelt's speech for its wisdom about how to face difficult times. Roosevelt used a lot of faith and values language in that address, an unusually sober and even sobering address for the normally upbeat Roosevelt. "Only a foolish optimist can deny the dark realities of the moment," said the newly elected president.
In 1933, in the depth of the Depression, Roosevelt reminded his audience, however, that the "common difficulties" in front of the country "concern, thank God, only material things."
According to Roosevelt, faith and values was in fact the way out for the nation: "The measure of the restoration lies in the extent to which we apply social values more noble than mere monetary profit."
Profit was not the measure of the nation then and it is not the measure of us as a people now.
I'm tired to the bone of the rhetoric of courage wrapped around panicked political expediency. Enough of this.
We as Americans can do this if we reach back into our national past and find the courage of our convictions. Simply put, we as a people are not just the sum total of our gross national product. On the other hand, the suffering of those at the bottom of the economic scale from the economic downturn we face today is real and it must be alleviated. We will survive as a nation the more there is an "us" rather than "market segments" and we serve the least among us first.
And so we come back to faith. Having faith in these times means living out the truth that human beings are not just the sum total of their net worth but are, in fact, called to a higher purpose of community and caring. That is the source of our hope in the future.
We as human beings stand on "higher ground" than just material worth and that fundamental conviction will enable us to let go of fear. Letting go of fear and trusting one another will drive our human as well as economic investment and that is the key to any economic recovery.
This time, I, along with many Americans, must find the courage to say "no" to the rhetoric of panic and the drive to rush headlong off a financial cliff with no pause to think it through. Main Street must have the courage to say to Wall Street: not so fast. We will have oversight and we will take care that Main Street gets the upside of this bailout or the check will not be in the mail.
That's faith in action. Call your Congressonal representatives and tell them what you think. Be not afraid.
By
Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite
|
September 25, 2008; 12:28 PM ET
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Posted by: Anonymous | September 26, 2008 9:01 AM
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why did CNN on cable on Christmas Night broadcast all the disasters accidents, diseased children and families?
(yetiskenlik diye bir kavramdan bahsetmek istiyorum, gecirgenlik akiskanlik gibi, yetiskinligin devinimi olmasini ifade ediyor. be not afraid, when i write in Turkish.)
Posted by: Anonymous | September 26, 2008 2:50 AM
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Why are some blogs here asking for registration sign in and others not? I don't understand this. And even when I try to sign in, I have to use a very old handle that no longer applies even though the address is similar. I can't change it, and I have to because others had used it once to try to spam my contacts. I don't get this.
Posted by: Priver | September 25, 2008 11:16 PM
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Great, another way to complain about Bush! Now he's inspiring fear and panic.
Actually, I got the sense from the speach we are actually not supposed to fear or panic. I think he was trying to say they are trying to fix it. I a little skeptical of that since he watched as congress caused the mess we're in.
As a christian I understand where she is coming from when she says not be in fear but there is also a time to fear. When the Government, Wall Street and Consumers try to destroy our economy, all at once there is time for concern. I think Bush was just trying to be honest about the hard be to right the wrongs. Again, I'm not sensing panic from him.
I kind of think this verse was taken out of context, since this was spoken to an individual. In truth we don't need to fear because God is in control. If we submit our lives to him then nothing really bad can happen to us, although at the time it may not seem that way. I agree fear is not the right action for this crisis but diligent response is. I believe God will carry us through this as he has before.
Again, I'm not sensing the fear.
Posted by: Kert | September 25, 2008 1:34 PM
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Dear Susan,
Your words are so remarkably accurate!
We Americans need to reach back to the inspiration of the Great Generation as well as that of all our forefathers.
This one quote from your article is so inspiring!
"According to Roosevelt, faith and values was in fact the way out for the nation: "The measure of the restoration lies in the extent to which we apply social values more noble than mere monetary profit... Profit was not the measure of the nation then and it is not the measure of us as a people now."
Wonderfully well said!
Sadly, I wish everyone really felt that way.
.